Austria to clarify asylum policy ahead of anticipated summer influx: chancellor

Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern on Tuesday announced the government would clarify its asylum policy ahead of a potential increase in the number of applications over the summer.

The previous set limit of a maximum of 37,500 asylum applications for 2016 had until now been understood to have applied to all applications made, though Kern has now indicated the figure will only take into account those who are actually deemed to qualify for asylum.

This now lowers the previously circulated figure of 20,000 applications made so far this year down to 11,000. The latter figure has been differentiated by the interior ministry as applications that Austria must process "in any case."

This means that instances where the Dublin Regulation has applied (when another country is deemed responsible for handling an asylum application) or in the case of family reunification or children born post-application, these are not counted toward the total.

The chancellor, who was sworn in to his post just two weeks ago, also noted the European Union deal with Turkey appeared shaky, and that despite no present urgency at the borders, Austria should be prepared for increased asylum applications over the summer. Endit